Blood Ties
by Sarien
Summary: (Mako-centric) It was like looking at the grim reaper with the utter certainty that he was there to claim your soul and there was nothing you could do. That's how bad seeing the black hooded figure at my table was. Nanashi, the Queen's Shadow, was here...
1. Meet Princess Makoto Kino

**Blood Ties**

**Prologue / Meet Princess Makoto Kino**

****

The silence in the small dark room was nearly tangible and the room's two sole occupants did nothing to break it. The simply stared at each other from across the room, one with a disbelieving expression on his face, the other, a young woman, was merely thoughtful.

"I see..." he said in a serious tone that didn't quite mach the look of utter disbelief on his face, which went unseen in the nearly total darkness.

The woman sighed and began to pace the room, managing not to bump into anything.

"I'm asking you do this for me, not because I'm going to be queen soon, but because I know that you won't lie."

"But why choose me to write it? This is a big honor...but you're the princess. Why can't you....you know...ask somebody else to do this? Some famous bard or minstrel, or at the least one of your Royal Historians, your ah...highness," said the young man, tense with the burden that had been bestowed upon him.

"Don't 'your highness' me, please. I'm sick of all the 'you look pale, your highness' or the 'are you sure you are recovered, your highness?' " said the woman. "I will throw you from this window if you keep it up." It did not sound like an idle threat.

"Now," continued the woman, "I chose you because you aren't some famous minstrel or historian. Minstrels do nothing but change the truth, it's what they do. And any historian of any fame would love to get on my good side by adding embellishments. Some verses and lines are already being written about my epic journey. They're calling it "Makoto's Ride." I'm a beautiful six foot, sword wielding princess, who can talk with animals, banish demons, enchant men, and all other sorts of things, on a journey to fight good and evil."

Makoto laughed softly. "Bull. They can't get the details right since most of it happened in....a place far from here. They make up entertaining lies to fill in the gaps. It wasn't just my story either. My friends played a big part too. I wouldn't be alive still if it wasn't for them. But they are warriors so heroics are expected of them. But I am just a princess, and very good story fodder."

"So will you do it, historian?"

"For the real story? First hand? Of course!" he said quickly.

"Good. But we must finish this before sunrise."

"Why before sunrise?"

"Because the universe might end tomorrow. Darkness is coming. Rei read it in the sacred fire. That's why I want to tell the real story before I leave for battle. I won't do anybody any sort of good, fighting with a heavy conscience. My surviving companions still bear some of the physical and mental wounds of the journey. I don't want to reopen old wounds and cause them further pain; I've done enough of that. So it's my job to tell this story, even if it may hurt me too."

There was another pause of silence as the historian digested everything. It was all happening so fast. One minute he was in his rooms at the Academy, the next he was being whisked away to the palace by a lone rider with an eye patch, and now he was in front of the princess, ready to get the interview that his contemporaries only dreamed about.

"One thing before we begin though, princess. Can we move to a better lit room? I understand that you wanted this interview to take place in the dark, but if you want me to get your story right, I must take notes. So..." he trailed off.

The fireplace came to life with a roar and candles set at the small table blazed to life. At once the room was flooded with light. And the historian, staring at the princess, gasped. "Dear Goddess!" he whispered, staring speechless, at her.

The firelight danced across her skin, making her appear as if she were glowing. No. Her skin shone with a light all her own. She _was _glowing, a soft golden light. The historian could make out a pattern on her skin, almost like small scales. He squinted. Those _were_ scales.

"Dear Goddess," he repeated, stupefied by her appearance.

Makoto blinked and that was when he noticed her eyes. They had a nearly serpentine slit and were tri colored, molten gold, jade green and emerald to shame the brightest gem. Her eyes filled with light, and it was like staring into the heart of a storm, flashing with lightning, and a faint echo of thunder. Instead of rain it was power that fell from her, and the historian gasped.

Her curly hair was up in a simple ponytail, but every strand appeared like dark spun amber. It moved as if caught if an invisible breeze, one that the historian imagined he felt. The dress she wore moved in that breeze, a long gown the green-gold color of new leaves.

She was nature personified and the historian was caught in her thrall.

"Do you see now?" she asked softly.

The historian didn't answer, couldn't answer. Makoto cursed and closed her eyes. Moments later, the historian shook himself out of the thrall. The glamour was gone and the princess no longer glowed with an ethereal light nor radiating power. She was just a woman, just the princess; tall, proud, and a little pretty, not the beautiful creature from before. Only her eyes remained, those two tricolored serpentine orbs, but they no longer glowed. He had the strangest feeling of being deprived of something wonderful.

"I'm sorry. This power is so new and I wasn't exactly given an instruction manual on how to use it," she gave a small laugh. "I sometimes forget the effect it has on most people. So, do you still want the interview?"

He schooled his features out of the gap jawed expression and into a more professional look.

"Yes," he finally answered.

"I'll try to keep the weirdness down to a minimum. Believe me, I need this opportunity. It's more important then you can realize. Now, let's start," she said, taking the seat opposite to the historian.

"You weren't always...always like _that_, were you?" he began.

"No. I only found out I had that power a week ago, when my journey ended."

"How did...how did it happen?"

"It's not a simple answer and that's why I brought you here, to give you the true 'Makoto's Ride.' I'll try to explain some of my history as we go on. You need to at least know the facts before we move on to the day when Nanashi came and my journey really began."

"Nanashi?" asked the young man, curiously. He had heard of the mysterious warrior.

"We will get to him soon. Let me go on..."

"Of course," said the historian, clutching his ink quill eagerly.

"I remember the last day of peace I had, before I was pulled back into the world of intrigue, the world I hated. The sun felt so good against my bare skin. I had discarded my dress and stood clothed only in a silk under gown. The days were growing warmer as spring slowly slipped away. In that weather my lack of clothes was very comfortable, practical even. Of course it would scandalize my old etiquette teacher, most of the nobility, and Quatra. Especially Quatra. At that time, he was still recovering from the time that he saw me sunbathing...naked."

"Naked?" asked the historian, disbelieving.

"Yeah...see, my bodyguard was always a gentleman. He never did get unaccustomed to dealing with such a wild charge, even then, when he had known me for four years. It had taken him a week to look at me and even longer to do it without blushing. It still surprises me to think that he was one of the most skilled warriors in the universe, one of the few to bear the rank of Immortali. My blushing bodyguard, a fierce warrior. It's funny until I remember the many times that he acted the part of my protector, blades flashing in patterns too fast for the eye to follow."

"That day was so nice. I tried not to think of my old life. On earth, Quatra and I were free to be ourselves. People weren't scared of him, having heard the rumors that paint the Immortali as ruthless, Darkness worshiping creatures. Courtiers didn't whisper to themselves as I passed, eyes following me, waiting for me to make some mistake before they fall upon me like vultures to pick up the pieces. I was grateful that those years were behind me. On earth we could remain anonymous. I was just another country noblewoman, living in a modest manor, with a bodyguard, a maid, and a partridge in a pear tree. Everything was simple on earth. No court intrigues. No court duels. No Relena."

"A small part of me knew that I was becoming too comfortable in the peace. It was hard to think of my old dark life when I was wrapped in a comfy lifestyle for two years. I'm now twenty years old and in a week I would reach my majority. At twenty one years, I would claim my heritage. Many girls in the universe would kill to be in my position. But they don't know why I fled Jupiter though and how hellish my life had been. All they could see was the wealth and power surrounding my birthright." Makoto stopped.

The historian blinked, as if pulled from a deep thought. "Your birthright as princess? But why didn't you want to be princess? How could court be so bad that you'd exile yourself?"

Makoto appeared to be struggling to find the right words to explain a complicated situation.

"If I returned to Jupiter by my majority then I would become Queen. It really does sound simple, even now. But it wasn't simple, you see? I guess I have to explain from the beginning, with the scandal regarding my birth, and how a questionable parentage could turn a girl's life into hell."

"My mother was Sidonie Kino, princess of Jupiter. She was headstrong, independent, and not the kind of princess any sane etiquette teacher would approve of. I inherited a lot of those quirks from her, but none of her looks. My nanny (rest her soul) would entertain me, and tell me stories my mother."

"Sidonie had moonlight skin, flawless, perfect. Her eyes were the color of autumn leaves, her hair the color of spun red garnets. She wasn't tall but she carried herself proudly, enough to make people forget she was barely five feet. Poets drew inspiration from her, and I've been told that a poem was once even written about her eyebrow." Makoto looked into the fireplace, her serpentine eyes showing a trace of sorrow. She stopped speaking for a moment.

"Ah...excuse me," the historian said hesitantly. "You never knew your mother? Was she away often?"

"No...she died. But let me continue."

"The people loved her. King Amatheon doted upon her, his favorite child, and the only one he had with his first wife, of whom it was told he loved more then life itself. Yet one night, my mother, in her late teens at the time, ran away. What made her do it, nobody knows. She was gone for two months, and returned, pregnant with me. She never talked about what had happened. When people asked the name of the father, she smiled sighed. But the King would look bad if he didn't punish her, yet he couldn't do it, so she was sent away to a secluded castle, where I was born."

"My mother died giving birth to me. She defied my grandfather in bringing me into this world, and died because of it. Sidonie was alone in that castle, except for midwife. I can't imagine how she felt in her final hours, so alone...before she drew her last breath, she named me Makoto, strength of wood and wisdom."

"When my mother died, the King was mad with grief. He already was half a man with the death of his wife, the death of his daughter was too much. Before he died, to the surprise of the court, he acknowledged me, a bastard child, as his granddaughter and heir to the throne. Not only was I a bastard, but I was acknowledged over Ysandre. Sometimes I wished that he would have left me in that tower."

"Ysandre was..." trailed the historian.

"Ysandre was the most vindictive, hateful, and sadistic person ever alive. But she was my grandfather's daughter by his second marriage. She would be regent until I turned twenty one. But the regency wasn't enough for the ambitious Ysandre. She was a powerful person at court, and could lie easily. She could make night sound like day, and when words didn't work, she didn't hesitate to resort to physical ways of...persuading people. So she managed to circumvent Amatheon's will and set herself up as the Queen and sole ruler of Jupiter, her husband Baron Dorlan having died in a "mysterious" death years before. Ysandre set her daughter Relena, who was my age, as Princess of Jupiter."

"Surely there were people at court who would help you. Didn't the people care who would be ruling them?"

"There was nobody to help me. Ysandre was just that scary. The people...The monarchy tries not to interfere with the people too much, as a rule. We build roads, make improvements, and we receive tithes, but they are a free people. As long as the Emerald throne was filled, taxes were low, and the sun was still shining, they didn't care. Ysandre wasn't a bad queen really. She wasn't a good person, but she cared for the people in her own twisted way."

The historian's quill scratched furiously against the paper, as he copied down the details. Already, he had the beginning of an epic story.

"During all of this, I was coping with life as court and the label of "bastard." I learned to hide my emotions, but I never mastered the art of making half promises and veiled insults...But I survived somehow. The spoiled princess Relena definitely didn't make my life any easier; in fact, she was the reason why I left."

"Relena went out of her way to make my life a living hell. She said my hair was a peasant brown, tangled and common. My skin was tanned like the field workers and my eyes were a dull green. I was a tall woman that acted like a man. The calluses on my hands from swords training certainly weren't like her lily white hands. "Ladies should only use fight with magic," she said. While I'm not conceited, not all that Relena said was true. No poems were written to my eyebrow, but I did inherit my mother's eyes."

"Your eyes are beautiful," confirmed the young historian.

Makoto blushed and continued. "The few friends I had were told to stay away from me. All of the courtiers were turned against me. It wasn't hard considering that my parentage already made them expect only the worst things from me. I hesitated to let anybody close to me, as Relena had a habit of making their life hell as well. She justified it once by saying that she didn't want any bastard tainting her court, especially one she would rule someday. I now realize that Relena did all those things because she was jealous of me. Funny, isn't it?

"I guess you already know the stories of how the universe came to be, since you're a historian. But I like telling stories. Usagi always said I was good at it. That and cooking."

"A millennium ago, the gods walked the earth. They mixed freely with the humans, when they were not fighting amongst themselves or causing mischief. It was known as the golden millennium. But their time on earth was brief as the Mother Goddess called them back to the heavens. It was not meant to be. The Gods could interfere indirectly with the lives of mortals, but directly only caused chaos.

During their brief time on the nine planets, the amorous gods took on many lovers. Most mortal women were not strong enough to bear the divine seed of gods, and few managed to. On each of the nine planets, there were a handful who could boast of this. On Jupiter, the Gods of Wisdom, Hunting, and Earth, took a mortal lovers. Their children were gifted with many powers and were made kings and queens. The resulting bloodline still runs through the aristocracy today, though very diluted."

"I am a direct descendent of those gods. Their divine blood runs in my veins, purer then any other Jovian. Relena hated me for that. She was royal as well, but the blood didn't run so pure in her veins. I don't know why she was jealous of that though, since I didn't get inherit any magic abilities."

"Queen Ysandre had the ability to summon powerful earth elementals to do her bidding, the hand of summoning, and the hand of earth, the ability to control plants. Relena could summon the lesser elementals, the pixies, and the sprites. Her hand of power wasn't that strong, but she also had the abilities that all Jovians had, regardless of the amount of divine blood in their veins: neutralizing poisons and predicting the weather. All I had was those natural abilities and a longer lifespan. Relena and Ysandre have the longevity too, but I retain my youth when I age. My grandfather died at 200, looking like a man one-fourth his age. When Relena is 200 and in her final years, she will look like a crone. I will look about 30, assuming I live that long."

"But your powers, they're not from your bloodline?" asked the historian.

"No...well, sort of. We will get to that later," she said with a small smile. "Relena's hatred of me extended beyond blood and into the territory of teenage crushes, which is the deadlier of the two."

"You see, Kings, Queens, Princes, and Princesses of Jupiter (or any other planets) are entitled to their own small contingent of personal guards. But there was no King or Prince, only Ysandre, Relena, and me. Ysandre had the Queen's Guard, and Relena had her Ravens. At the age of 16 I got Quatra, and even he was given to me grudgingly. While I wouldn't trade him for the world, and he is the equal to 5 Ravens, it would have been nice to have a little more protection."

"One day, when I was only 15, I tripped (or more then likely was tripped) and happened to fall into Heero Yuy's arms. The twenty year old captain of Raven Captain made no attempt to comfort me, but he did help me up. That was enough to give Relena another reason to hate me. I had "flirted" with her longtime crush, who did not return her love. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned and boy did I know it."

"Murder is punishable by death in the Emerald Kingdom. That didn't stop Relena from trying to get me killed. She rested in the comfort that her mother was Queen and was blind to the many faults of her daughter. I still don't know how a person could be that blind and be Queen."

"Anyway, there is a system of solving feuds on Jupiter, the court duel. It was old and archaic before Relena brought it back 'into style.' In court duels, battles were fought between two courtiers with grievances against each other. The challenged was allowed to pick the weapons, metal or magic. Duels were fought to first, second, or third blood, depending on the seriousness of the accusations and feuds. Occasionally there were duels fought to the death. Until Relena discovered court duels, there hadn't been a duel to the death in decades, but her hatred of me was that great. During all of this, Ysandre had turned a blind eye."

"Winning my first duel was just pure dumb luck. I drew first blood, only because the Raven who challenged me tripped on their shoelace. Poor Glais. He never did live that down, and eventually was forced to move off planet."

"While I was not untrained during my first battle, I will not pretend that I was a master swordswoman, or even competent. My swords teacher only humored me. He didn't believe that princesses could make good fighters, and my interest was only a ten year-old's whim. Drustandidn't give the same attention that he did his other students, and I was too young to realize it. In the five years I spent under Drustan, I only learned the basics. But I love to fight so I learned the basics very well."

"I was no mage. I had no magical powers. In fact, I couldn't light a candle to save my life. A few of Relena's Ravens did know some pretty powerful spells. I was in trouble."

"Fortunately I turned 16. The Queen gave me Quatra as a birthday present or her idea of stirring the waters for entertainment; probably both. My new bodyguard wasn't what I expected. I had expected him to be cruel and condescending, just like many of the Queen's Guard, or Relena's Ravens. He was the opposite."

"Quatra was twenty one when I met him. His gentle brown eyes were the first thing I noticed about him. My nanny always said that you could tell a lot about a person from their eyes. He had short curly blond hair and there was something gentle about him. It was a big shock to me that he was an Immortali, one of the best swordsmen in the universe. He even was titled, the younger son of a landed lord."

"My bodyguard was like a godsend. I had to wonder why my "dear aunt" sent me such a perfect bodyguard. It took me a month to realize why. Quatra had the personality and ability to suit me perfectly, but he was a political disaster. He was too trusting, too honest. It was as if he was born without a political bone in his body, even though he was raised at court for part of his life. He became my friend, but he was political liability. But I still owe him my life."

"For two years, I faced Relena's hatred, her revenge. She would order her Ravens to taunt me, goad me into a duel. I fought over twenty duels in those two years, from when Relena accused me of trying to steal Heero, to when I had enough and...ah...ran away. I wouldn't be alive really except for Quatra's training. He corrected the small mistakes in my swordsmanship that Glais had allowed to pass, small mistakes that would be potentially fatal in battle. I was taught new techniques and my level of swordsmanship rose. That's not to say that I didn't lose duels, and I did, but those were only blood duels and I survived, but with more scars."

"It was in my last month at court, before I decided I had enough, that I was challenged for my first and last duel to the death. I admit, I was more then a little cocky, since I won my two previous duels, and conveniently forgot the ones I lost. Birdie was respected among the Ravens and with good reason too. She was a mage. Not only that, Birdie had the hand of claws. It wasn't that rare an ability, but I had never seen it before. If her delicate white hands touched my body, it would be as invisible claws shot out. Invisible claws that cut through flesh like knives, and could be wrenched through the body without the resistance of metal."

"I was in deep shit. I had no magical abilities and was up against the unknown. I remember that day clearly. Jupiter was in winter and thunderstorms occurred frequently and without warning. It was dangerous to be outside on the dueling grounds, which were located atop a small hill without any cover. Birdie would hear none of postponing the fight. We fought."

"I nearly died that day. My body was scored with knife wounds and I could barely stand. Birdie was the second in command of the Ravens, and I could see why. I had only managed to slice a long gash on her thigh. She had been limping, but otherwise she was unhurt. I on the other hand could barely stand."

"I remember the savage grin on her face when she cornered me. Weaponless, I could do nothing to stop her. In those moments I felt my death coming. If I died then Relena would have won. There would be no contention for the throne."

"My last memory of that day was a bright light and a loud noise, then everything went black."

"Quatra told me that lightning struck Birdie. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Again, I won by a fluke. I've always been lucky, but that was just ridiculous."

"That night Quatra and I fled Jupiter secretly. It was just by chance that we found ourselves on earth. Earth was the easiest planet to immigrate to; their star gates weren't as restrictive as those of other. But I was happy there on earth, where nobody recognized me as princess, and gives me odd looks as I pass. I was just Makoto."

The princess turned her strange eyes on the historian, who was scribbling furiously on the parchment. "Now I hope you understand my reasons for leaving Jupiter. I left because I was sick of the duels, sick of being tested, sick of court life, court lies."

The historian looked up from his parchment. "I thought that royal Jovians who left Jupiter for a long time fade away since the element earth is so deep in your blood."

"Myth. I didn't wither and die. Jovian blood does run through my veins and it compelled me to return. All I dreamed about in my final week on earth was Jupiter. The trees, the animals, they all ran through my dreams. I resisted the call, but it was getting harder to."

"But if you returned to Jupiter, couldn't you have just lived on a farm or something, and abdicated?" he asked.

"I thought about doing that a lot. But then, even if I returned, Relena would've had me killed, just for being alive. I had to return, not just because Jupiter was calling me back. It was more then that. The Emerald throne is something sacred and I couldn't let that usurper remain, let alone give Relena the chance to be Queen some day. Jupiter would fall into Darkness and it would be my fault for not doing something when I had the chance..."

Makoto's shuddered, imagining a world with Relena as Queen. "Now that is my history in a nutshell. The real story begins now..."

**Author's Notes:** That's it for the prologue. First person is difficult to write, I see now. In regular fiction, it's fine, but in fanfiction it's easy to get characters OOC. I think that's what I did, just a smidget. But this is after the trials that Makoto experienced so it's understandable that she matured. She still is the loveable tomboy that happens to have special powers. But before you accuse me of making her really OOC, remember that this is set in the feudal European styled Silver Millennium, where there are nobility and lots of etiquette and whatnot. I did have to urge to make everything Japanese, but I remembered that we didn't see anything but castles and elegant dresses in the flashbacks of the anime, no kimonos and Japanese houses there. So the whole setting and culture will be sort Feudal European (my take on it), with the names of the anime characters as the only thing Japanese (there was no way I could change that).

If you can tell, I revised the story a lot. Names of characters have changed, and I styled the story sort of after Interview with a Vampire, with the whole interview thing. You also might see some influence from Laurell K. Hamilton's Meredith Gentry Series. I read that book when I came before I started writing this story so the sadistic queen and love hexagon thing comes from there. Everything else is a product of my imagination!

The grammar is much improved and I've virtually eliminated plot holes. You might, however, see the whole story revised later, as this format makes it impossible to switch to third person. If I don't get used to it, that's what will happen. Sorry. Now the plot from the previous version is still pretty much the same. But my last version, frankly, sucked big time. I found a lot of mistakes and lots of stuff to change. I don't think anybody will miss it.

Aren't you glad I finally got this out? I promised myself that I would update it by my birthday, and here we are. Today is my birthday. I'm seventeen! Woot! As a present, won't you review? I really need feedback. Tell me if she's too OOC. If there's not enough interest, I won't be motivated to update often and you will have to make do with my two month updates (and this story is probably one of the few Makoto/GW stories still going). So please, review! [Special thanks to M.A. and Liz!]


	2. Meet Lord Quatra

**1/Meet Lord Quatra**

I remember the day when Ysandre found me. That was the day when my life changed and my heritage caught up with me. I was a princess again on that day, I had to be. The title was once again floating over my head, along with the loads of responsibility and danger. I didn't like it at all.

"…Twenty-one, twenty-two…there that should be enough!"

The ball of fur squirmed in my grip until I finally set the brush down. No sooner did I set it on the floor then it made a beeline for the door.

"Ungrateful mutt," I muttered, brushing white hairs from my lap.

The mutt was a genuine wolf cub, but what Quatra didn't know wouldn't hurt him. Even in our exile, he guarded me. Behind those kind eyes was a mind quick to spot any potential physical danger. He'd feel guilty when he looked into the cub's crystal blue eyes, but he would get rid of it all the same. Quatra was an Immortali and he had sworn a blood oath to _protect _and _serve._ It was more like _do whatever it took to protect a life and if you wanted, listen to the person whose life it was. _The fact that I was a princess didn't matter. If it was a question of my life, then he didn't have to listen to me. It's not that I don't like having a bodyguard around, but some threats I could have taken care of myself.

"Lady Makoto!"

I turned as the door to the attic opened. An old motherly woman walked in. She was Merle, our only maid and resident mother hen.

"What happened, Merle?"

"There is a high nobleman out front, demanding to see you. He brought his entire entourage and they are practically camped out there and won't move until you answer his call. Lord Quatra is having trouble keeping them from entering the manor and looking for you themselves."

"A high nobleman? I don't know any nobles around here, much less any important ones...did you get his name?" I asked, still confused.

"No, Lady. His steward informed me that one wasn't necessary, just to tell you that his lord said..." Merle paused and pursed her lips, straining to remember. "I'm sorry, my memory is going with my age, but I believe it was something about lilies and...and wrestling. It doesn't make much sense to me...I'm truly sorry, Makoto. It's just that I'm getting old and-"

"It's ok, Merle. Well, I guess I have to go down there now. You couldn't have just told him that I'd died or something?" At Merle's shocked reaction I added, "kidding, kidding."

"Tell the steward that I will be down soon. Make an excuse, any excuse, but give me a little time," I said, rubbing my temples.

"Of course, Makoto. You are finishing the embroidery on a pillow," said Merle, sketching a quick bow, her only compromise with formality. I had forbidden all honorifics. But really, embroidering? That's the last thing that somebody would expect me to be doing, somebody who knew me at least....ah. I saw Merle's plan. She'd see the reaction of the noble just to see how well he knew me. Merle really was more then a maid.

Merle winked at me before exiting. Great, now that that was taken care of, just who the hell was trying to see me? Lilies? Wrestling? Those words were vaguely familiar but I couldn't place it. There was no way it could be Ysandre...right? After all, our escape from Jupiter was known only to a few trustworthy people, and I am not the most trusting person in the galaxy.

"Well, I just have to give my visitor a show."

I picked a dress from the back of my wardrobe. It was in the back for a reason. While the dress didn't proclaim me as a princess, it did scream spoiled rich daughter. It was made of rich purple velvet and embroidered heavily with gold. The chest was square and low, very low. Relena would love the dress. I hated it, but I had to pretend to be somebody else, and that was as far from Makoto as you could get.

There was a pair of purple slippers sitting at the very back of my wardrobe that I dreaded to put on. Ysandre had given them to me for my birthday and amusement. She had ordered me to wear it and rather then pay a visit to the torture rooms, I obeyed and wore those...torture devices to a ball. I didn't have much of a choice. My aunt didn't like to be crossed.

As much as I hated those slippers, I would have to put them on. My feet would be blistered and swollen by the time this was over. They were designed for beauty, not comfort. The many gold rings, bracelets, and necklaces that I added weren't exactly comfortable either.

I got my revenge on the horrible dress as I slashed a hole in the thigh with my dagger. The sword strapped to my thigh could be accessed easier. You always have to be prepared for the worst. With luck, nobody would notice the uneven fall of the dress.

By the time the dagger was put in the makeshift sheathe underneath my sleeve, Merle entered again.

"The steward said that the noble only laughed at the excuse, Lady Makoto."

I didn't bother to correct her since I really was a Lady in that costume (for that was what it felt like).

"Well, I guess he knows me then..." With that last thought, not a particularly comfortable one, I went to go see just who my visitor was.

There were several carriages in our front lawn. I focused my attention on the larger, more decorative one. The rest belonged to the minor nobility, met-at-arms, and luggage. Quatra was talking with a man who seemed to be the steward, because he wasn't dressed flashy enough to be one of the nobles. It was insulting, because Quatra was a Lord in his own right and should have been able to talk to which ever noble was the cause of the mess.

I summoned up my haughtiest, most Relena like look that I could. As I stalked down towards the carriage, I began to regret dressing in velvet. Dark clouds began to fill the skies. It looked like a thunderstorm was coming. The garden would have to be covered with canvas later.

Quatra raised an eyebrow at my appearance, followed by a stern look as he guessed my plans. _He_ would handle this. I disagreed and shook my head slightly. _I _would handle this.

Ignoring his not so subtle coughs, I trained my angry emerald eyes on the man dressed in the sapphire, white, and silver livery of a major noble house, and by the lack of a crest, it was a new one. The steward was as shaken as I expected him to be. Bad things like people falling down the stairs or having headaches, tended to happen when I looked at them when my emotions were high. Quatra said it was the Royal blood in my veins. I wish it worked on other royalty. Relena would have had several accidents by now.

"Excuse me, sir. What happens to be the problem?" I asked and lowered the intensity of my gaze. Scaring him to death wouldn't help the situation.

Quatra sighed after waiting for the man to speak. "Lady Alexa, this man here is from the house of Lombard…" he stopped and tried to see if I was getting his strategy.

_Well I guess I'm lady Alexa now. I can't let these people know who I really am. They might take me back home. Now Lombard must be a new house. And it's a major house too? Somebody must have done Ysandre a big favor or kissed Ysandre's ass to be promoted to a major house._

"Lombard is a Duchy on Callisto, remember Lady Alexa?" he asked, his usual pleasant smile still on his face. Quatra was rarely ever angry, yet the hard look in his eyes did not match his happy-go-lucky smile or his soothing voice.

"Yes I remember, Lord Gareth," I said gravely. Well, at least I knew where this noble house was.

"Good, now then, Lord Lombard is here and wants his _servant_, to relay us a message." He stressed the word servant to remind the man of his place.

"Well this just won't do, sir. I demand to be taken to speak to this Lord of yours at once. Never mind, you don't have to escort me. I know where he is," I said and began to walk to the fancier carriage.

The steward blocked my way with his bulky body. "Sorry Lady _Alexa_," he gave a knowing smirk, "the Lord left instructions not to be bothered for another hour."

I heard the scrape of metal. Quatra had drawn his sword partly out the sheath. The steward was apparently a threat to my security. He was an unknown and he seemed to know my identity. Quatra wouldn't kill the man if he didn't have to, but despite his mild manner, he took his oath seriously.

"You dare to summon me as if I was some...commoner, then force me to wait until your master is ready to see me! I think not!" I walked down to the ornate carriage angrily, Quatra at my back. My attitude was feigned, but my anger was not. The man was trying to insult me and I would give him a piece of my mind, and hopefully my fist.

Thunder crackled in the distance. I had to hurry, my plants were waiting.

I opened the carriage door and sat myself on one of the plush velvet seats. Quatra wasn't happy about me going in first, and I would hear it from him later (he wouldn't yell but ignore, which was probably worse).

"Good morning to you too, princess," drawled a masculine voice.

At that moment, I wished that the person across from me was somebody other then who I knew it was, even Ysandre herself.

I forced myself to lookup at the man's face. It was a beautiful smooth face with a beautiful nose, beautiful lips, and beautiful teeth, framed by long beautiful black hair. I half-expected my heart to flutter like it once did when I saw his face. Then I looked into those beautiful hazel eyes of his and remembered what kind of a person he was, and he was far from beautiful then, ugly if you will. He had caused me terrible pain, and I know it was wrong, but I wanted to kill him on the spot.

"Bastard. I thought I told you that I never wanted to see you again, Eamon" I said in my coldest voice.

Eamon was my ex-fiancé. The jumbled message that Merle gave me now made sense. At the end of our relationship, he had said that he preferred one of the "court lilies, rather then the large Amazon warrior who could probably wrestle him and win, since she already had beaten some of the Ravens." It's funny to think that at one time, I was madly in love with him. Apparently he didn't feel the same about me, as I found that he "endured me for the chance to be king someday, not some landless lord" and that Ysandre had approved of him, because she knew that I hated having my life ordered.

That I overheard him saying that in _my _bed with _my _maid the day before _our_ wedding while drunk off his ass was why I wasn't Mrs. Eamon right now. I was angrier at myself for every having been in love with him, then at him, but only by a small margin.

"Why Lady _Alexa,_ or should I say Princess Makoto, you should know why I'm here," he said with that annoying arrogant tone. His beautiful face smirked at me. I wanted nothing more then to get that smile off my face with my fists.

"I want to hear it from you, _Eamon_," I said and purposely omitted his title.

His hazel eyes flashed in anger briefly, but otherwise he remained composed. "Why of course, Mako." He used the pet name he had given to me when I was his loving fiancé and that only angered more, which was what he wanted.

Quatra had to restrain me from physically tearing out his throat. "Makoto do you really want to make things worse?" Quatra whispered in my ear. I muttered curses under my breath and reluctantly sat back down in the carriage seat.

"You're a hard one to find Makoto. Queen Ysandre wants you back. She, and I quote this 'seeks to mend the rift your exile has created.' "

I froze. The world seemed to spin. I expected another marriage proposal, at sword point maybe, but this… _She _had found me. She knew where I was and she wanted me back in that pit of vipers.

"Why so scared, sugar plum? You get to return to court. Relena says she can't wait until you return, and then you can participate in her little games like old times. Maybe we can even get engaged...again," he said with a smirk on his face.

"Engaged? Engaged? You stupid son of a bitch, get out of my property right now before I decide to kill you! The Queen, be damned. She sends you, a man the whole world knows I hate, and you aren't even a true lord. Oh, you might have gotten that title recently, but you are just a kiss ass. You are and will always be a leach, trying to get into Aunt Ysandre's good graces so you can get power! What kind of deal did she strike with you? That you bring me back, I marry you and you get to be Prince and have all of the money and power that comes with it? Idiot! I am nothing like those air headed "lilies" at court! I will not go with you and you know I can defend myself." I drew the hilt of my sword from the improvised pocket I had created.

"You wretched little-" he stopped as lightning flashed outside the carriage window. Eamon looked a little pale. Apparently, he was one of the people that believed that I called lightning from the heavens and struck Nicaven down during my last duel. Well, the more scared he was of me, the better.

I leaned across my seat and yanked him by his oh so beautiful hair, bringing his face closer to mine. "When you get back to Jupiter tell my _beloved_ Aunt Ysandre that I knew her reasons for sending you and if she really wants to mend the rift between us, she should get her lazy ass to tell me what the hell she wants herself, because I now know that she knew where I was the whole time. This was a mutual exile. She wants something...Oh and Eamon, If I ever see your face around here again, there will be a duel to the death between us and you always knew I was the better fighter." I released his hair and wiped my hands off on my velvet dress. It was done.

"You're digging your own grave talking to the Queen like that! She will get that word for word, Makoto!" Eamon called out as the carriage as I began exited the carriage. He lurched back into his seat as the carriage move. Quatra had prodded one of the horses, and startled, it began to gallop.

My bodyguard put a comforting hand on my shoulder and didn't speak for several minutes. We just watched the carriages leave, kicking up a dust storm. This meeting had been emotionally exhausting and even if it didn't show through my court mask, he knew it. At that moment, I wanted nothing more then to scream, or cry....probably both.

Quatra didn't say a word until the rain began to fall and we walked back to the house. "Mako, do you think it was smart to talk to Eamon like that? He'll tell the Queen what you said. You are not a stranger to her torture sessions, Mako, and when we get back…" he let the words hang. 'The Queen will probably have me killed herself," went unsaid.

I put on my most comforting smile. "Who says I'm going back? Even the Queen's Shadow couldn't take me back." We both laughed.

Nanashi, the Queen's Shadow, was the head of her guard and it was no secret that the quiet man occasionally carried out the Queen's own "justice". The Queen's Shadow was really a man named Trowa Barton, but Ysandre had it changed for affect. I still don't know how Trowa felt about his name being changed, but who could argue with the Queen? He was the head of her guard and had earned his position, being one of the few people to complete the rigorous training and trials needed to become an Immortali. Trowa was rarely seen out of the Queen's presence (and when he wasn't in her presence, it was most likely because he was out assassinating somebody), which was partly where the name Shadow came from. You never knew when he was behind you. His stealth was legendary.

The Queen's Slayer scared me of course. He scared every sane person and I'd like to think that I was included in that group. I just had to remember to knock on wood when I got inside. It wasn't that I was superstitious, not really, but right now he was the last person I wanted to see. All in all, Nanashi just didn't scare me as much as my own aunt did…

"You spoiled puppy. No, Aynia, you're not getting any more links. This is for our dinner." I gently kicked the whining cub away. It whimpered and sat in the corner to eat the many sausage links it had already managed to wheedle from me. Greedy little cub.

"Quatra can you help me carry these plates to the dining room table?"

My bodyguard set the book he had been reading for the last hour. He had only just stopped ignoring me for my recklessness earlier. It wasn't my fault that Eamon was such an ass.

Quatra picked up the plate with the sausage rolls, freeing up one of my hands.

"What book are you reading, Quatra?"

He blushed and didn't answer. "Have you been in my bookshelf again? Not that I mind Quatra, but those are romantic adventures...I have a couple epics you could borrow."

"I...it's a book on the history of the mysterious Tylwyth Teg, the fair folk. The book says that they died out a century ago, with the rise of the human cities. I think that they might have found a portal to another plane, to escape the humans. There is evidence that the planetary portals, at one point, had access the other fabled seven planes. Of course, that had to be before the ascension of the gods. I think that-"

"Quatra, the food is getting cold," I interrupted. Quatra had many different faces. That one was Quatra the scientist, earlier was Quatra the protector. When he helped me cover the garden with canvas in the heavy downpour,_ that_ was Quatra the friend, the Quatra that I've come to know and care about.

He sighed and shifted the plate to his other hand. "Makoto, you shouldn't cook so much." I smiled and tried to keep the smile from my face. I only had to carry the salad.

We walked to the dining room, which was unfortunately situated at the other side of the manor, well, unfortunately for Quatra. _He _had the heavy plate.

Quatra stopped in front of me. He froze in the doorway of the dining room. Something wasn't right.

"Quatra? Are you alright? Hello? The food's not getting any warmer." I gently pushed him out of the way as he was too shocked to respond.

I glanced around me and my expression of shock mirrored Quatra's. The bowl of salad I carried crashed to the floor as my hands went numb. I thought that I had enough surprises for the day, but obviously the fates wanted me to have a heart attack.

A cold chill ran through my body and I was sure that my skin was as pale as any of the court lilies. Knocking on all of the wood in the world probably couldn't prevent this, because sitting at the head of our table (very casually I might add) was the Queen's Shadow, Nanashi…

_--------------------_

__**Author's Note**

Ok, this chapter came out better, I think. I did some foreshadowing and revamped the characters. The title for this chapter was "Meet Lord Quatra", but I'm afraid that I minimized his role...a lot. Well, I'm going to try to get the characters to be more intimate in future chapters. This story isn't really about Makoto, but the GW boys as well.

Anywho, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm sorry that it came out too late, but I had finals to study for. Now its summer and I'm taking some writing classes so I can, well, improve my writing. I know that I have a problem with characterization. Aside from Makoto, I tend to cast the other characters as too...2d. I'm going to try to work on that in future chapters, because I know this chapter didn't help much. ;

Expect future chapters soon, but I plan to post a revised _Once in a Blue Moon _and _Prelude to a Dream_ soon. They're mostly done, yay. I'm having problems with my computer so we'll just have to see how soon.

Oh, and reviews and critiques are really helpful.

__**Acknowledgements**

_Liz: _I'm working on the suspense and mystery. I think that that was what was lacking from the last version. Glad you like this one better.

_Monou Hakkai:_ Sorry about those two words. I was splicing stuff from the original version and working it into the new one. ; I'm surprised that I didn't miss more. I think this chapter has Makoto more in character or at least not that...uppity. cheers I'm really happy that you like my description, coming from you that means a lot. I'll try not to get too abstract and poetic though.

_Firenze__: _I read some Rei fics now and then myself. Thanks for the review. It really did make a great birthday present. I'm glad that you didn't find my dialogue too courtly or common. Makoto isn't really one of those dainty princesses, but she is educated and intelligent (though she's no Amy), we see it in the anime and the manga.

_Airlady: _I'm afraid that I didn't pay as much attention to detail in this chapter as I did in the last, though the last was the prologue and set the foundation for the rest of the story (glad you found that useful). ; Don't worry though; I shall continue this story until I finish it!

_Black-Fire Eclipse:_ Aren't I evil? I had you wait so long in suspense. evil laugher

_Athena Kyle:_ Reading all those medieval books about elegant courts, princesses, and whatnot, I pick up lots of that type of speaking. It rubs off on you. Reaching your majority (present day) would be turning 18 and being allowed to smoke and get a license. At 21, Makoto can claim her kingdom and get her inheritance.

_Cris:_ Glad you liked the intro. It gets better, promise.

_babymar-mar:_ I deleted the fic that was like this. This is the new version. I edited the plot and cut out lots of the mistakes that I noticed. Hopefully, this one turns out better.

_Tenshi-Kaikou: _Tell me what you think of Makoto in this chapter. I can't really tell if she's OOC or not because I'm the author and I'm sort of biased. ;

_Jupluna:_ pokes Nice to hear from you again. I'm glad you liked it the first time and now it should be fifty times better. hehe.

_JupiterLover:_ I don't know about this being Makoto/Trowa just yet. I was thinking of doing a multi-romance, but it will be really hard to write it and I'm lazy. xP About the Kurama/Makoto...well, I'm purrty busy right now, but I'll try. If I think of a decent plot, you'll be the first I let know. ;

_To the people who read and didn't review: _OO I know you're out there. I'm just happy that you read the story, but reviews inspire me to continue and add all sorts of twists to the story. not so subtle hint hint


	3. Meet the Queen's Shadow, Nanashi

**2 / Meet the Queen's Shadow, Nanashi**

It was like looking at the grim reaper with the utter certainty that he was there to claim your soul and there was nothing you could do about it. That was how bad seeing the black hooded figure seated at my table was. Nanashi, the Queen's Shadow was here. It seems like the fates would stop at nothing to force me back to that hell hole.

After what seemed like an eternity, I found my voice. "You're here…. you're here to kill me, aren't you?"

The cloaked man pulled back his hood. You would expect a man so carefully shrouded to be hiding some kind of deformity or something. That was not the case here. Nanashi was tall and though the cloak appeared bulky, I knew that he was slender, not feminine slender, but the slender of a man who was all whipcord and sinew. There was no excess about Nanashi...well, his hair not included. I never understood his gravity defying hair. His hair was a deep rich brown and cut short, except for the rather large lock of hair that sloped across his face to cover his right eye. Nanashi had nice eyes, deep green ones, the color of spring leaves. But like the rest of him, his eyes (or eye really) were mysterious, as if they were hiding secrets, secrets that he would take to the grave.

That was the first time that I saw the man unhooded, but I forced myself to stop giving him the once over and concentrate on getting out alive. He would not take me without a fight.

Quatra seemed to sense my resolve as he recovered from his shock. He drew his short sword and belatedly stood in front of me. I rolled my eyes. He was a little late, but I could take care of myself. I drew out my sword from the pocket of my dress, the fabric ruined from our attempt to save the garden from the heavy raid (not that I cared about the stuffy old dress).

My bodyguard gave me that 'don't interfere' look and I glared at him. Quatra wasn't my friend right now, he was carrying out his oath to _protect _and _serve_. He returned the glare and I hesitated. Quatra was only doing his job and the look he gave me had some of his familiar gentleness as he begged me to understand. I backed down and settled for watching, but that didn't mean that I wouldn't try my blade against his if worse came to worse, because I was only backing down to make Quatra feel better. I could've taken Nanashi...right?

"What do you want, Trowa?" Quatra asked. His usually pleasant voice was laced with steel.

It took me a moment to realize that Nanashi had been staring at me the whole time. His single visible eye flicked towards Quatra, but came to rest back on me. "I'm not here for you Quatra, but I am authorized to kill you if you interfere," Nanashi said in his quiet voice. It was unsettling how calm that man was, sitting at the table as if there weren't two armed and dangerous people standing not ten feet away from him.

I'm not sure if it was a good thing either, but they seemed to know each other on a first name basis. They probably knew each other from the Emerald Court. It wasn't like I knew who all of Quatra's friends and contacts were. He was my bodyguard, but also my friend and entitled to some privacy.

"Why is it you're here?" I asked cautiously, fingering the hilt of my sword.

"Trust me Princess; I would not be here if I had a choice."

"Ok, great, but you _are_ here. Why?"

"The Queen sent me," he said, as if his answer explained everything.

"Why?" I asked. His answer explained nothing.

He looked at me with those emerald eyes and I saw a flash of unhappiness in them. Nanashi wasn't happy with the mission the Queen sent him on. I would have felt sorry for him if he wasn't here on a mission to probably eliminate me.

"Apparently Lord Eamon didn't deliver the message correctly, because Queen Ysandre said to come to court immediately. You are still here."

"She said she 'sought to mend the rift between us.' I've lived at court long enough not to believe in that pile crap. Now tell me what the hell she really wants or we'll settle this with swords! You trespass into my property demanding what you know I will never do!"

Then I panicked as the little speech I had given replayed in my mind. Had I really challenged the Queen's Shadow to a duel? No, I wasn't that stupid. Quatra's grip on my wrist told me otherwise.

_Sweet Goddess, when will I learn to think before I speak?_

Thankfully Trowa didn't hear, that or he thought that my challenge was beneath him. I didn't know which was worse.

"I do not know all of what my Queen's motives are and I won't try to guess them. She sent me here only to retrieve you and not to tell you what I _do_ know until we are safely at court. I am Goddess sworn not to harm you on the journey there and all Jovians interfere with my mission on pain of death." It was clear that the last part was intended for Quatra.

_Safely at court?__ Isn't that a paradox or something? _As for his oath, I could pretty much believe what he said. Bad things happened if you broke a Goddess oath.

Nanashi sat at my dining room table and I had a million different questions, but I was still too shell-shocked at this revelation to say anything. Fortunately Quatra was the articulate one.

"How can you guarantee Makoto's safety? There are very dangerous things at court," Quatra said. It was obvious to everybody in the room that the 'things' were the Queen herself, Relena, and the Ravens. Well, at least Quatra didn't name them outright. I hoped that meant that he was learning discretion. He never was much of a politician.

"Queen Ysandre promised your safety to Jupiter…"

I forced myself not to laugh. Aunt Ysandre was very sneaky. She had sworn my safety to court but after that I was basically screwed. Her protection would be off me and I would be the target of Relena's attentions. No courtier or servant would help me. Nobody dared defied Ysandre's darling daughter. My aunt was aware of Relena's little games; she just pretended to ignore them. I only wished that I had moved to some deserted moon. It was too easy to get to Jupiter. In a day I would be back at court, trying to figure out how to stay alive.

But if Ysandre wanted me back, that meant she needed me, and if she needed me, why didn't she give me protection at court? Is it because she doesn't want to punish that spoiled brat, Relena? Or maybe…have things gotten that bad in court? I've been gone for three years and a lot can happen in that time…I knew what I needed to ask Nanashi.

"What has changed on Jupiter since I left?"

He looked away, unable to take my intense gaze, I guess. "I cannot answer that, Princess. I can only tell you that things aren't the same." Nanashi met my eyes again and the expression on his face kept me from asking more about it.

"What if we decide not to go?" Quatra asked.

"I am to take _Makoto_ by any means necessary." A look of hurt crossed Quatra's face. I was beginning to wonder about how their previous friendship had ended.

My curiosity was at an all time high. I just had to go. There were so many questions that needed answers. I could take care of myself at court, give or take a few injuries. I still needed work on the political part. I still didn't know that trick that Ysandre used. She could make night sound like day. I wasn't that cleaver.

"It doesn't look like I have much of a choice. You win, Nanashi. Quatra and I will go with you first thing tomorrow morning." Trowa frowned at the mention of Quatra. It didn't look as if Quatra was supposed to come. "Look, Quatra goes or I don't care what you do, I will not go. He is just about my only friend at court and my only bodyguard. Do you think I am stupid enough to return to that hellhole without protection? He is the reason I am not dead already!"

I took my eyes off Nanashi for a moment and glanced at Quatra. He looked at me with an expression crossed between tenderness and something else. Nanashi's tired sigh brought my attention back to him. He closed his eyes.

"Very well, princess. He may come with us, but the Queen will not like it..."

_Since when have I ever cared what the Queen thought...oh, that's right, since she introduced me to her friend, Azren, the torturer. _I shuddered and tried not to recall my sessions with the grinning old man. The last one had been when I was 16, for refusing to entertain some ambassador's son at a ball. The whip he used was lined with doe fur. He didn't want to leave any scars on my royal backside. That didn't mean that it still didn't hurt like hell. You never say no to the queen.

"I don't want to think about _her _right now. I'll have to see enough of her tomorrow. Now since I can't ask you any questions that you will actually answer, I'd like to actually start dinner. The food is cold and since it's your fault, Nanashi, you can just help me reheat it." Nanashi's eye widened. He didn't expect that from me.

Quatra once told me that I trusted too easily. That's not true. I still didn't trust Nanashi, but since he couldn't kill me, well, I figured I might as well get to know my enemy.

"You might as well listen to her, Trowa. She's very...persistent," added Quatra as he set the forgotten plate of rolls onto the table.

Trowa still didn't give me an answer, or at least not a verbal one. He simply stood from his seat and walked towards me. Ok, I was more then a little startled by that. Nanashi walked towards me and it didn't look like Quatra was going to stop him. I considered drawing _my_ sword, but stopped when Nanashi knelt in front of me, or at least I thought he was kneeling. I was more shocked to discover he was picking up the forgotten salad.

Without another word, he carried the bowl to the kitchen. It took me a moment to get over the fact that Nanashi, the Queen's Shadow, was actually cleaning. I gathered my scattered brain and hurried after him.

When I caught up with him in the kitchen, I asked the one question that had really been bothering me. "Are you fine with being called Nanashi? I mean, it wasn't like you picked it or anything. Ysandre did. It does add to you…mysteriousness. Queen's Shadow is what the courtiers call you when you're not around, but I guess you must know that. What would you rather be called? I know that Trowa Barton is your real name, but it's not like you correct people or anything?" I stopped as Quatra coughed politely from behind me. I was babbling again.

"So...um...I'll just go and prepare some more salad. Um...Nanashi, you can go watch the stew in the hearth over there. It was supposed to be the main course. Quatra you can go...just go entertain yourself or something."

_Smart, Makoto,_ I thought while running out to the garden. It had stopped raining, but the ground was still wet and soft beneath my bare feet. I had tossed out those horrible slippers a long time ago.

Right now it was spring, so my little garden was doing nicely. I didn't like to waste food though, especially food from the earth. Trowa would here it from me later. I couldn't really spare him, even if he was the Shadow. Quatra was one of the best swordsmen in the universe, but that still didn't stop me from chewing him out when he burned my cooking pots.

It wasn't until I returned to the house that I realized I felt safe with the mysterious man. _Only half an hour ago, I thought he was here to kill me...now...now he doesn't seem that bad. He even helped me to clean up. Damnit Mako, maybe Quatra was right. I am getting too trusting. Living on earth has made me soft. _I shook my head as I reached the kitchen, a bag filled with fresh ingredients in hand.

Quatra made as if to help me, but I stopped him. "No you are getting nowhere near my vegetables or any cutting board. You might be good with a sword, but you are worse then Usagi when it comes to cooking." I included Nanashi, who was stirring the large pot at the hearth, in my gaze. He didn't answer. I didn't expect one. Nanashi wasn't much of a talker, I could see that already.

"But Makoto, I-"

"You stay there and help our guest or something." I knew perfectly well that Nanashi didn't need any help, but at least Quatra could stay away from my kitchen utensils. Hopefully Nanashi didn't do anything stupid like letting Quatra stir. That was a disaster waiting to happen.

As I chopped lettuce on my cutting board, I could hear the faint murmurs of a conversation from across the kitchen. It looked like Quatra was attempting to start a conversation but Nanashi remained silent. I would have tried to hear, but I don't have any of the Shadow's stealth. I'd probably trip over a stool or something.

I couldn't help thinking about my old life and Relena. She wasn't evil or anything, at least not towards people she deemed important. But she was insanely jealous and could hold a grudge for a long time. She still hated me and was probably plotting my death while I was chopping lettuce. I don't exactly hate Relena, but she makes it really hard to like her. At court she made my life a living hell, spreading rumors, causing accidents, sending her Ravens on me, making sure I didn't have any friends.

"Makoto, what did that tomato ever to you?" asked Quatra from behind me.

I blinked away those thoughts and realized that I had reduced my tomato to mush. Thinking about Relena just brought out the worst in me.

"Can you go set the table for three now? I'll take care of this mess and go back out there."

"Of course, Makoto. Just make sure to take your anger out on the punching bag tomorrow morning, not our dinner," he said with a grin.

I salvaged what I could of the mush and took the bowl of chopped salad out. Nanashi was still by the hearth, stirring the stew.

"Erm...Nanashi. You can stop stirring now. It should be fine for awhile. Why don't you go out to the table too? Dinner is ready."

He set down the large ladle and gave me the full force of his gaze. "Trowa," he whispered.

"What?"

"Call me Trowa."

Shocked, I nodded and watched Trowa leave. I realized that I was still nodding, even as Nanashi, I mean Trowa, left. Other then shock, I felt strangely honored. It didn't look like many people got to call the Shadow by his real name. Yay for me, I guess.

I began to feel anxious for the next day as I followed Trowa into the next room. It wasn't that I was happy to go back to Jupiter. I just had the odd urge that something was going to happen soon and I had to be there. Plus, tomorrow's trip would definitely be interesting. With luck, I'll wheedle some info out of Trowa or at least ask Quatra how he knew the Shadow...

----

The next day I really did take my anger out on a punching bag. It was shaped like a man, was very heavy, and filled with sand. Quatra had bought it for me when I turned 20. He knew me that well. The bag hung in the room that was once the sitting room of the former Lady of the house. Now it was a training room. I always had a strong passion for fighting.

I was hot and sweaty by the time the sun rose. It was my morning ritual. I wouldn't mind being a soldier. Unfortunately I was a princess. Lucky me. If I had one wish, well it was pretty obvious what I'd wish for. Oh wouldn't Relena be so happy then? She would be the only heir and the Queen would die mysteriously. The new Queen would be that Relena.

"Ugggh! She makes me want to break something," I screamed, continuing to let the bag have it.

"Makoto."

I didn't even stop my exercises since I knew who that voice belonged to. It was only Quatra.

"Maybe you should slow down or something, Makoto. We have a long day today..." He laughed nervously.

"Listen to him, princess," said a calm, nearly emotionless voice.

That nearly caused me to stop my assault on the defenseless punching bag. Trowa was there too? _Great.__ That's all I need.._ I pretended not to here them.

"Makoto. It's not good to exercise when you're so angry."

"Me? Angry? Who says I'm angry," I forced out through gritted teeth. By that time, the punching bag wasn't in the best shape.

"Relena," Trowa said simply.

My fist connected with the sand filled head of the bag. It flew across the room. Me? Angry? Of course not.

I unwrapped the linen strips from my fists and threw them to the floor. The first part of my morning routine was done. I only had my sword routines left. I did my best to pretend like the two weren't there, but running through sword work was unnerving with them just watching me.

"She will injure herself at that rate," said Trowa. He turned on his heel and headed for the door.

"Don't you think I know that? It's just that Makoto is so...stubborn and determined! She won't listen to me if I tell her to stop. Save her, Trowa."

I decided to take Quatra's comment as a compliment. Why should I stop? I needed to be strong if I had any hope of surviving court. Quatra knew that. Besides, the defeat in his voice seemed to have more to do with his past relationship with Trowa then it did with me.

The blunt practice sword in my hands did not stop moving. I would stop when I was ready to. Still, I felt Trowa's presence in the room like a weight at the back of my mind. Why hadn't he left yet?

"Like you saved Catherine?"

I had stopped my sword practice completely to watch the scene. If I wasn't mistaken, the Shadow was being petty. This wasn't about me anymore, if it ever was. It was about Quatra and Trowa and this Catherine. Whatever happened to them had ended whatever relationship the two men had. _Was Catherine a lover? Was it some sort of love triangle? Did she die?_

"That's not fair, Trowa. You know that I tried. I would have given her my life if there was a way." Quatra's voice was thick with sadness, enough to choke on. He didn't cry though. It was an old hurt, though it ran deep.

"You saved me, but I am not alive. I am not complete."

A single glimmering tear drown the Shadow's cheek. I knew already that for him that single tear was the same as breaking down completely. I wanted to do something, to wipe the hurt from both of their faces, but I could do nothing.

"Trowa. Quatra," I whispered.

They didn't seem to realize that I was there until that moment. Trowa's mask of calm was back in place, not betraying a single emotion. Quatra forced a smile on his face, as if he didn't want me to see him as anything but happy.

"I...I think I'm done training for today," I said, breaking the awkward silence.

"We leave in one hour, princess," Trowa said, before exiting.

"Don't call me princess..." The scene I witnessed had unnerved me. I didn't have the heart to yell at Trowa anymore.

"Come on, Makoto. I'll help you pack."

The smile on Quatra's face look strained, but I didn't comment. I am not that cruel. Whatever had happened to this Catherine was none of my business. I accepted his offer though, and tried to pretend like I didn't just witness Trowa crying or Quatra defeated. It was hard.

----

An hour later we were packed and ready to go. I had too many things on my mind now to be worrying about Quatra or Trowa. We were actually on our way to the Emerald Kingdom or rather; we would have been if I hadn't been assailed by an overly concerned Merle.

"…are you sure, Makoto? Do you need anything? Any more clothes, books, food? You need something, surely. How about a hat? We can't let you catch a cold. You could-" I cut Merle off before in mid sentence. She was a nice person, but very motherly. If I didn't stop her, then I probably would have ended up taking the manor with me.

"We're fine, Merle. It's you I should worry about, staying here in the manor alone. We will be gone for awhile. Maybe-" this time she cut _me _off.

"I'm fine, Makoto." We both laughed at that. She was the mother I never knew and of everything I was leaving behind, I would miss her the most. Merle didn't ask questions. She probably suspected that I was more then a country Lady, but she never pried. She cared about me all the same. Somehow, I doubted that my _dear_ Auntie Ysandre would allow me back on earth for a while, if she even allowed me to live.

My white gelding, Lightning, was already loaded with all the necessities for the six hour ride to the earth's inter-planetary portal at the earth's crown city. It also had a dress to wear for my unavoidable meeting with Ysandre. The rest of our things would arrive the next day.

At dinner Trowa had told us that the Queen wanted us there yesterday. He wouldn't hear any of our excuses. It was a very quiet dinner.

I mounted Lighting, who was not a very remarkable horse physically, mostly at least. He was a large horse (he'd have to be, for a tall girl like me) and his fur was a rich brown, the color of fresh turned earth. His eyes were the color of amber. That was the only physical trait that marked him as abnormal. It didn't bother me. He was gentle as a lamb, at least with me. I thought he was the best horse in the galaxy. Lightning probably was the fastest and he had the stamina to match, too. I saved him from the slaughterhouse. Nobody wanted to buy him because they thought it was some demon creature, since his eyes weren't the normal shade of black, blue, or brown. As expected, I bought him. Relena used it to spread the rumor I was in league with Darkness, which nobody who knew me believed. Or at least those people who tried to get to know me, which were few.

Quatra was next to me on Sandrock, his freakishly strong tan horse. It was almost the size of a warhorse and, though sturdy, it was about as ugly. With Quatra's gentle attitude, you'd expect him to go for a gentle horse. But no, that horse was anything but gentle.

"Ready?" Trowa asked from atop his black horse, Nanashi (which made calling Trowa, Nanashi, very unsettling when the horse answered). I nodded.

There was no need to stop and make adjustments to the gear. We didn't have much gear. I rode bareback. It wasn't like this was going to be a long ride or anything, unfortunately.

After Trowa pushed his horse into a canter, I looked at Quatra and realized that he was waiting on me. It looked like he was supposed to take the rear. They never let me have any fun. I wondered what would happen if we were to be attacked…they probably wouldn't let me fight. Though I wasn't an Immortali, I could hold my own in a fight.

_We'll just see if we do get attacked. I will not sit down and let them take all the fun!_

Before I could so much as signal Lighting, I heard a soft whining. Looking down I saw my white wolf cub, Aynia...

"You brought a pet," Trowa said simply as I caught up with him. I slowed into a canter.

"It's not just any pet, it's my Aynia," I said indignantly. The puppy peeked out from under my traveling cloak at its name. Trowa didn't comment further. He simply raised Nanashi to a gallop. I, never one to be beaten, urged Lightning into a gallop. Quatra's reluctant sigh could be heard as he matched our pace.

As we galloped towards the Golden City, I half-hoped that we _would_ be attacked by bandits or something. That would certainly make the trip more exciting. I wouldn't mind a fight. It would at least take my mind off of worrying about Jupiter and the many disasters that could have befallen my planet. Relena was the last person I wanted to think about at the moment, especially since I had many conveniently sharp objects on my person.

**Author's Notes**

I considered switching the P.O.V. to Trowa, but then decided against it. I don't want this story to get confusing with too many switches in point of view. Anywho, hope you enjoyed this chapter. It's a lot longer then the original. Readers of the original Blood Ties (or Fly Me to the Moon) might have noticed several new scenes. I wanted to keep it interesting. I even added Catherine. She's the same one from Gundam Wing and as to what role she plays in my twisted story, you'll just have to wait and see.

I'm also sorry about the lack of indentation. The format gets screwed up whenever I upload and I'm too lazy to manually do it. Hope you don't mind. I used wordpad to write it. ; Next time I'll type it up on my pc, instead of this bootlegged one.

As usual, leave a review. Critiques are wonderful. I need them to keep me in line. BTW, do Quatra and Trowa seem to be no more then footnotes to you guys? I want them to have a bigger role, but it's difficult since this story is in first person. Well, at least Makoto is more in character. You can't have it all I guess.

**Acknowledgements**

_Athena Kyle** :**_Whoops. That must have slipped out from the editing. In the original story, Trowa was called the Queen's Slayer, I edited it to Queen's Shadow. Guess I missed that part. I hope I didn't confuse anybody that much. More Quatra goodness in this chappie. He and Mako will have a little heart to heart in the next chapter if all goes according to plan. But shh. Don't tell anybody I told you that. ;

_Black- Fire Eclipse: _drools Trowa. I had a fun time working him in the chapter and giving more insight to his character. He isn't as silent and emotionless as people might think, not in this story at least.

_babymar__-mar__:_ Wow. Thanks for such a high compliment. I'm really happy to hear it.

_EternalHime__:_ I'm glad you like this story better. I felt I had to edit it because my writing style has changed so much (for the better I hope). This story is Golem tone my precious. I added more insight to Quatra and Trowa. My biggest fear is that they will only be footnotes. I'm working on some Makoto on Trowa or Quatra action on the next chapter. I think that it's hard to give so much insight because the point of view is so limited since it's all what Makoto sees and feels. In the original story, I switched from first person to third person omniscient so it was easier to get to know the other characters. Now I've decided to stick to one P.O.V....I'm almost regretting it. ; Well, I guess these hardships come with being a writer, even a fanfiction writer. Thanks for keeping me in line. The Trowa/Quatra scene really came from your comment.

_Jupiterlover: _I'll probably go with the multi-romance. I don't know if anybody noticed the small hinting of romance between Quatra and Makoto. It won't be so subtle later. I e-mailed you too, btw. Thanks for your help.

_Monou__ Hakkai: _Quatra loves Makoto's cooking but we can see in the anime that she's very motherly. She stuffs him full up, whether he likes it or not. I wish I had somebody to cook for me. -- I'm glad you saw Mako's ex-fiance as creepy. I wanted him to look greedy, arrogant, selfish and the epitome of a jerk. He'll appear later on, when they arrive at the Emerald Kingdom. In Gundam Wing Quatra did sometimes show facades other then kindness, but not as often. This story will be the same way. Maybe I'll have Quatra go berserk sometime. I don't remember the details from the anime clearly, but I vaguely remember him going psycho. Now that would be interesting. I probably have to go online to read some Trowa profiles. I'm ashamed to admit that out of all the Gundam Wing characters, I remember the least about him. Thanks for your reassurance, M.A. Now I think I'm doing better at keeping Mako in character.

_Serenity Blossom:_ I'm glad you liked it. More of the same is coming up.

_JupLuna__: _I wanted to leave this chapter at a cliffhanger, to add even more drama and suspense, but I'm not that evil. You'll just have to make do with the foreshadowing (though there is not so much in this chappie). I reread the original after seeing your review and I have to agree, the other story left a lot to be desired. Thank goodness I decided to redo it.


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